Ontario Must Continue to Make Strategic Policy Investments to Support the Growth of Renewable Energy

Renewable energy helps to fight climate change. It creates sustainable jobs and economic growth. There is an urgent need for Ontario to develop new policies that support renewable energy.York's Knowledge Mobilization Unit provides services and funding for faculty, graduate students, and community organizations seeking to maximize the impact of academic research and expertise on public policy, social programming, and professional practice. It is supported by SSHRC and CIHR grants, and by the Office of the Vice-President Research & Innovation. [email protected] www.researchimpact.c

The role of the L1 in testing L2 English

This chapter compares and contrasts two research studies that addressed the role of L1 in the assessment of L2 spoken English. The first research is a small-scale, mixed-methods study which explored the impact of test-takers’ L1 backgrounds in the paired speaking task of a standardised test of general English provided by an international examination board (Nakatsuhara and Jaiyote, 2015). The key question in the research was how we can ensure fairness to test-takers who perform paired tests in shared and non-shared L1 pairs. The second research is a large-scale, a priori test validation study conducted as a part of the development of a new EAP (English for academic purposes) test offered by a national examination board, targeting only single L1 users (Nakatsuhara, 2014). Of particular interest is the way in which its pronunciation rating scale was developed and validated in the single L1 context. In light of these examples of research into international and locally-developed tests, this chapter aims to demonstrate the importance of the construct of a test and its score usage when reconsidering a) whether specific English varieties are considered to be construct-relevant or construct-irrelevant and b) what Englishes (rather than ‘standard’ English) should be elicited and assessed. Nakatsuhara, F. (2014). A Research Report on the Development of the Test of English for Academic Purposes (TEAP) Speaking Test for Japanese University Entrants – Study 1 & Study 2, available on line at: www.eiken.or.jp/teap/group/pdf/teap_speaking_report1.pdf Nakatsuhara, F. and Jaiyote, S. (2015). Exploring the impact of test-takers’ L1 backgrounds on paired speaking test performance: how do they perform in shared and non-shared L1 pairs? BAAL / Cambridge University Press Applied Linguistics Seminar, York St John University, UK (24-26/06/2015)

The cultural significance of elves in northern European balladry

The focus of this thesis is the supernatural ballads of northern Europe and, in particular, how we can understand a society through its literature. I take as my initial focus the ballads of Denmark (Chapters 2, 4, 5, 6), where supernatural beings of the elf-type are common, before proceeding to the wider northern-European context of Sweden (Chapters 3, 4, 5, 6), Iceland (Chapter 3 and 6), Germany (Chapter 3) and Scotland (Chapters 3 and 7), ranging from the earliest extant text of 1550 through to the nineteenth century to examine synchronic and diachronic changes and what they reveal of the cultures which produced them. This study considers the ballad as pleasing and satisfying literature which does not exist in a cultural or historical vacuum. Close, comparative reading of the texts moves us towards an understanding of how the supernatural was used as a vehicle for considering identity and man’s place in the world. The study analyses the recurring use of the supernatural ballads to establish social and national identities and to express ideologies concerned with gender and patriarchy. The supernatural ballads demand that we look critically at our attitudes, perspectives, and assumptions. As well as examining the main concerns and motifs of the ballad versions, the thesis seeks to problematize our initial assumptions by re-examining the traditional readings and by looking at examples of non-traditional versions. Responses to the ballad stories from both high and low culture serve as a lens through which to analyse the ballads, so Virgil’s consideration of the tale of Orpheus and Eurydice is examined along with Ibsen’s own dramatic version of the Agnete story, and Matthew Arnold’s poem on the same text. This thesis also seeks to examine in what ways women are characterized in terms of their relation to men in a genre largely transmitted by women, in the early ballad and in the nineteenth century, to examine tentatively if there is evidence of women seizing the narrative in order to disrupt the dominant discourse

Reassessing and refining theory in qualitative accounting research: an illustrative account of theorizing

Purpose: This paper focuses on the role of theory in the process of doing qualitative research. It seeks to show how theory was reflected upon, reassessed and refined during the research process. In so doing, it provides an illustrative account of theorizing in qualitative research, with specific emphasis on an abductive approach to theorizing. Design/methodology/approach: This paper is based on a qualitative accounting case study in which an initial theoretical framework was reassessed and refined during the research process. The approach is to reflect on the use of theory during the research process rather than on the organization itself. Findings: The ‘findings’ reflect on the use of theory and the process of theorizing during a research process. The paper finds that abduction may be a useful way of theorizing in qualitative accounting research because it encourages the researcher to remain open to alternative explanations of data, which may promote theoretical development. As such, this paper does not report the accounting practices of an organization in the traditional sense, but does so in a way that illustrates how the empirical findings led to an initial theoretical framework being developed. Practical implications: The paper is intended to be informative in showing how theory can be used and developed during research. It may be of value and interest to new and emerging researchers. It may also interest established researchers seeking to reflect on their use of theory in research. Originality/value: There are few contributions that focus exclusively and explicitly on how theory is used and developed during the process of qualitative accounting research. Moreover, the abductive approach has received limited attention in accounting. This paper aims to address these gaps